General view of the city hall of Madrid, on December 6, 2019. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP) (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)

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The global Breathe Cities initiative to improve air quality and protect public health is set to expand, following a $45 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The funding will support the project’s work, which is delivered with the Clean Air Fund and C40 Cities group, across its growing network of cities, helping local leaders strengthen policies, and and improve public health outcomes.

And Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Madrid in Spain will join the 14 existing cities in the network, bringing the total number of participating Breathe Cities to 16 worldwide, across five continents.

Beyond these cities, the initiative has engaged more than 60 cities globally through knowledge-sharing efforts that help accelerate action on air quality and public health.

Priya Shankar, who leads air quality initiatives at Bloomberg Philanthropies, said Madrid is a major European city, which has been leading efforts on reducing air pollution and tackling extreme heat, in an interview.

Shankar added Addis Ababa has been really focused on cycling infrastructure and will also host the United Nations COP32 climate summit in 2027.

She added new investment will help all 16 cities in the project in four different strands.

The first being to gather valuable data by deploying air quality sensors. Shankar added they already deployed 1,200 sensors in the original 14 cities, which have been used to identify street-level hotspots and pollution sources.

The second strand is around community engagement work, which helps cities engage with local organisations, and build public awareness on air pollution.

She said the third strand is around technical assistance and capacity building, which really helps cities look at designing policies and good practices and the final strand is around bringing cities together to exchange ideas and best practice.

Shankar said the 14 original cities have already introduced 26 local clean air policies and reduced nitrogen dioxide pollution by 14% since 2019.

She added 10 cities either have or are working to implement clean air zones by 2030 in a bid to reduce air pollution further.

“These cities are pioneering innovative local solutions,” she told me.

“They are taking lessons from what has worked in other cities, and they are also really demonstrating what is possible when city leadership decides to tackle this challenge and is equipped with the right tools to do so.

“Air pollution affects people and cities everywhere, and having a reach across all five continents helps demonstrate how cities can take leadership in varying geographic, economic, and development contexts.”

The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, said he looks forward to raising Madrid’s air quality ambitions in the coming years, in statement.

Martínez-Almeida added his priority as mayor is the health and well-being of every resident.

“Which is why we have reduced nitrogen dioxide pollution by over 40% in 15 years, through electrifying our bus fleet, expanding cycling infrastructure, and building one of Europe's most ambitious clean air strategies,” said the mayor.

The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, said he looks forward to raising Madrid’s air quality ambitions in the coming years, in statement.

Martínez-Almeida added his priority as mayor is the health and well-being of every resident.

“Which is why we have reduced nitrogen dioxide pollution by over 40% in 15 years, through electrifying our bus fleet, expanding cycling infrastructure, and building one of Europe's most ambitious clean air strategies,” said the mayor.

The chief executive and founder of Clean Air Fund, Jane Burtston, said Bloomberg Philanthropies' long-term commitment to clean air has helped transform what cities believe is possible, in a statement.

Burston added through Breathe Cities, the world is seeing cities across five continents adopting ambitious policies, cutting pollution, and empowering communities to drive change.

“Clean Air Fund is proud to power this work alongside our partners,” she added.

The Clean Air Fund also recently announced a multi-million-pound programme focused on delivering health and climate gains through reducing emissions of the super-pollutant black carbon.

With £10m funding from Wellcome, it will drive pioneering research and advocacy to deliver urgent health and climate benefits.